Taking up the Fight
by w nymph
Summary: One Shot, AU, City!verse - The Fortune Cup had been only first of many trials ahead. And Yusei had decided to stop running, to protect no matter the costs.


Author's Note: After long another City!verse ficlet. It's also part of my fics for the LJ-com 10_fics, where I claimed

Please enjoy.

**Warnings**: Uhm I just can't write anything linearly for that AU. orz

**Prompt: **#8 Time

**Summary:** Oneshot, AU, City!verse – The Fortune Cup had been only first of many trials ahead. And Yusei had decided to stop running, to protect no matter the costs.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

**--- Taking up the Fight ---**

"Good Night, niichan…"

Ruas sleepy voice drifted to Yusei as he closed the door to the twins room, throwing in one last glance to make sure that they were alright. The last couple of days, ever since they had discovered Kiryu-san crashed into their waste containers, had been exhausting.

First that encounter with Aki, discovering that Kiryu-san had the mark – just like Aki, just like Ruka, just like _him_ - then the Fortune Cup itself, forcing Yusei to step onto the battlefield again, forcing him to choose between his determination to protect the twins and his vow never to duel again.

But he had chosen, had fought, and perhaps even found an understanding between himself and Stardust… But even that paled in the light of the… vision, the picture of Satellite being destroyed by flaming lines forming a spider (and Yusei could have sworn that the design was familiar to him).

Whatever was still out there waiting for him and everyone else wearing the mark, the Fortune Cup had just been the beginning, Yusei was sure of that.

Silently he walked through their home, carefully checking whether one of the others was still awake. But no, all three of them, Himuro, Yanagi and Kiryu, had already retired and that was more than fine with Yusei.

He too withdrew back into his room, closing the door firmly behind him. But instead of lying down to get whatever sleep he could for the upcoming days, he stepped through to the next door, a room that only he had access to. Quietly he pulled the card key through, closing and locking the door behind him once he had entered.

This room was his sanctuary, the place where he disappeared to when he needed to centre himself, where he hid presents, where he conspired and knew himself safe and unobserved. It didn't look very personal; a table and some chairs in the middle, the shelves on the walls were packed with books, two computers were standing in the corner, a laptop in his case leaning onto them.

Only one person other than him had been allowed to this room ever since he had declared it as _his_ space, Aki, who had promptly pointed out that it was more a place to study in than to withdraw to. Back then he had just smiled and watched how careful and hesitant she had been to run her fingertips over the books in the shelves, had watched this person who was the first other one aside of Ruka to carry the mark too, was so much like him and yet not at all.

But that had been long ago. Since then some things had changed. The computer and the books were still there, but now a large frame, covered by a large white sheet, took up most of the room. Yusei stepped closer, drawing the sheet away and revealing a in gleaming crimson coloured D-Wheel, an ironic colour considering the legend that Yanagi had told them just hours ago.

He let his fingers run over the machine, almost like a caress. He had started working on it two years ago, shortly after starting his job at the M.I.D.S. and his fall out with Aki, needing something to occupy his hands with, to keep his mind away from dark thoughts about his parents death, from the possible connection to Stardust and the mark, from Akis accusing voice calling him a coward, asking him and herself how she could have even considered counting on him.

Two years long he had spent the time he wasn't spending with the twins in here, gathering parts through Saigas connections, wanting nobody else to know about this little project of his (because unlike the rest Saiga understood; he had given up dueling too after all). Despite the thrill that had shot through his nerves every time he had worked on this machine (the longing to feel the wind move over his skin, to be free of all restrictions society had placed on him), he had held no desire to return to the battlefield. Not then.

But now was different. Now that he had stepped back into the world of duels, had broken his vow in order to defend, to protect his family - the one thing that was most important to him. He knew he would have to do that again, the faint, agitated pulse of his mark told him so much.

He understood now. He had been running for nine years now, always searching the shadows for signs, fearing change, fearing the future and those standing still in the illusion of running away. But that had changed, the moment in the Fortune Cup when he had accepted the mark and Stardust as part of himself, unleashing the mighty dragon on the unfortunate lunatic that had been his opponent just moments later.

In doing so he had started walking again.

Yusei pulled out his deck, glancing over the art of his monsters; Junk-, Nitro-, Turbo- and Road Warrior, Junk Archer, Arms Aid and finally Stardust Dragon. He had abandoned them, kept them hidden in favour of his vow, and he knew given the situation he would do it again in heartbeat.

But he couldn't now. Now the time for change had come.

He would embrace it, would do anything in order to keep his little family safe.

The D-Wheel symbolized that change, would give him the ability to run with the wind, give him the means to fend of any chains whatever enemy out there was ready to throw at him.

The time was right. Fudo Yusei had become a duelist again.

--- FIN ---

Review, please?


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